How Art Activity Shapes Identity

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At five years old, battling A.L.L. Leukemia, Olivia Bennett began her relationship with art. Painting helped her with the nerve damage caused by her treatments The Southlake, Texas native used art as a coping mechanism for her treatment, but by eight years old she realized she had a business. Bennett’s first painting sold for $50, and at twelve she was seen on the Oprah Winfrey Show. Now cancer free, Bennett opened her first gallery at fourteen and began teaching watercolor classes. Bennett credits art for getting her through the challenges of cancer and creating her own identity as an artist. Without her narrative with Leukemia, she would have not gotten the media coverage that boosted her career and who she is at such a young age.

Art promotes autonomy, confidence, self-worth, and provides an escape from the challenges one may face. Therapeutic art should be used in multiple settings when working with chronically ill patients. The community aspect of art making creates a unique bond that aids patients tremendously. While the benefits of art activity on the identity of the chronically ill seems obvious, there is still a lot of research to be done in order to academically prove the connection.

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